7. Academic building at 8 K. Donelaičio Street / former residence of the Honorary Consul of Sweden, Karl Wiese

About

The first known owner of the plot was the merchant Feinholz, first mentioned in written sources in 1855. The building was erected in the first half of the 19th century, reconstructed in the early 20th century, and restored in 2005. This building is an icon of Jugendstil architecture! In addition to its striking façade – dominated by a wave-shaped oriel window, vase reliefs, figures of children and decorative shells – the building also preserves the exquisite early 20th-century tiled stoves, wall and floor décor of the Meissen ceramic tile factory SOMAG, the massive yet graceful oak staircase, beautifully ornate wooden double doors fitted with faceted glass, and many other authentic features. The courtyard is characterised by a porch and a loggia framed by two risalits, along with fragments of an old well, a fountain and a garden. 

During the interwar years, the building served as the residence of the Swedish Honorary Consul, the shrewd businessman and Freemason Karl Wiese. Following the war, on the initiative of Juozas Karosas, the Klaipėda School of Music was re-established there. After the music school relocated, the building became home to the Klaipėda Juozas Kupčinskas School of Medicine, which later formed the basis of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Klaipėda State College. 

To discover the role the Swedish Honorary Consul played in interwar Klaipėda, learn how this building is linked to ‘Prussian blue’, and find the allegorical sculpture of the fountain – join a guided tour.